There exist many devices that serve as a communications device or communications intermediary. A Wi-Fi router and a mobile phone providing a Wi-Fi hotspot are examples of such a device. In each case, the router or mobile phone communicates information between a computer and the Internet.
Communications devices are often limited in the positions in the area over which they can operate, and the time over which they can operate.
A Wi-Fi router needs to be positioned near both a power supply and an Ethernet or Internet cable socket. Thus a building will typically provide Wi-Fi routers at one or more fixed positions, nearby a power outlet and a cable socket.
The reliability of the connection of a computer (or other device) to the router(s) is inversely proportional to the distance of the computer from the router(s), and the connection can be obscured by walls and other structural members. To service large areas requires installation of a number of routers. Installation can be very expensive, particularly for established buildings, since wiring needs to be run through wall and roof cavities to form a connection with communications towers by which to access the Internet.
A Wi-Fi hotspot provided by a mobile phone can be moved to the location at which an Internet connection is desired. However, Wi-Fi hotspot connections rapidly deplete the battery of a mobile phone, and data transmission rates can make Internet connection very slow, particularly where multiple users try to connect to a single Wi-Fi hotspot. Moreover, while mobile phone battery life is generally very short when providing Wi-Fi connectivity, to ensure the battery lasts for a sufficient time to make the Wi-Fi hotspot a viable means by which to access the Internet, the range of a Wi-Fi hotspot is typically very small.
It is therefore desirable that there be provided a communications device that can remove one or more of the problems associated with the abovementioned technologies, or at least provide a viable alternative.